Alana Perdue is a senior tax manager at MGO and works out of the firm’s San Jose office. She immigrated to the United States from Vietnam when she was in high school, watching her parents sacrifice everything so she and her brother would have more educational and professional opportunities.
This passion, perseverance, and grit inspired her early on. “We arrived and settled in Houston in early 2001,” Alana said. “I watched as my parents worked blue collar jobs to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table while I graduated high school and then college. Through their hard work, I learned that you build the life you want and show that resilience in everything you do.”
The timing of their arrival in the States is not lost to her family either. Because they immigrated mere months before 9/11, Alana and her family make it a priority to remember how fortunate they are to call the US home.
“To have been able to be here and see how this country came together during such a tragedy, we realized how blessed we are to call it a home away from home,” she said. Even though they received their citizenship in 2006, they continue to feel that gratitude each day.
Within her “home away from home,” Alana knows where her roots lie: in her Vietnamese heritage and culture, which she credits as being the “anchors in this perfect storm we call life.”
“They keep me grounded and give me peace. We’ve all experienced the adage, ‘When it rains, it pours,’ and sometimes, that can seem overwhelming,” Alana said. “But I tug on my anchor, gather that inner peace and keep on keepin’ on!”
As for AAPI Heritage Month, she’s reminded this month, more than ever, of who we are, where we come from, and how we made it to where we are today. She believes heritage is an integral part of anyone’s being, and to recognize those heritages within the AAPI community is crucial to spreading awareness and bringing everyone together.
